Acknowledgements
The Westwood High School Wind Ensemble and Directors would like to thank:
Erin Campbell, Westwood High School Principal, for your leadership, enthusiasm, and steadfast support of our band program and students.
Laura Terry-Brown, Associate Principal and Fine Arts Principal, for your excitement and willingness to “jump in” to the world of Fine Arts and all things band. You are now a part of the Family!
Jager Loyde, Director of Fine Arts - Music for Round Rock ISD, for being a constant advocate for our program and all of the Fine Arts of our district. Your mentorship and friendship are cherished, and we are so grateful for your frequent visits to our rehearsals!
Tim Lowke, Director of Fine Arts - Visual Arts for Round Rock ISD, for your support and encouragement of Fine Arts across all of Round Rock ISD.
Marla Valk, Dance Coordinator for Round Rock ISD, for being a Warrior in every sense of the word. You are an inspiration to us all, and we love you and thank you for your support over the years!
Betty Jo Byrne and all of the RRISD Performing Arts Center Staff, for making us feel like rock stars every time we come to your beautiful facilities. Thank you for your work and dedication to providing a world-class performance experience for our students.
Westwood High School Private Lesson Faculty, for the immeasurable impact you have on our program every day. Your expertise and wisdom help to shape our students into outstanding musicians and conscientious human beings!
Jay Hagy and Becky Click (Canyon Vista Middle School Band Directors), and Mason England and Pablo Estrada (Grisham Middle School Band Directors), for the incredible job you all do in helping to foster a love of music in your band programs. You are all master teachers, and we are so lucky to have you teaching the future musicians of the Westwood Band!
The Westwood Wind Ensemble Senior Class of 2023, for your leadership, musicianship, perseverance, and trust in the process. Your hard work and dedication to your craft paved the way for us to have the honor of performing at the Midwest Clinic this year. Each one of you has left behind a beautiful and proud legacy within our band program.
The Westwood Area Band Boosters (WABB) and Executive Board Members, for the phenomenal support you provide to not only to the Westwood Band, but to our middle school band programs as well. Your tireless work and dedication help us create lifelong memories for our students, and we thank you for all of the extra work you do beyond being band parents.
Band Parents and Family Members, for your ongoing efforts to support your students in their passion for music!
Dean Arms, Sean Dacy, and Anna Winters (Our Amazing Band Staff Spouses), for your endless support, patience, and love. It takes a village, and we couldn’t be the best versions of ourselves without each of you loving us and encouraging us every single day.
Thomas Turpin would like to thank:
Brittany Dacy, Brandon Winters, Mikey Sheeran, and Mark Istratie
I can’t express how much fun it is to come to work every day and be surrounded by people you love and respect as great human beings and ridiculously good educators! You all make up one incredible team, and I’m so lucky to call you all my friends and co-teachers of this amazing band program we call home. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your efforts, love, and support.
Josh Thompson and Colleen Whatley
The collaboration that our Band and Orchestra departments share is truly one of the most fun and inspiring parts of teaching at Westwood High School. Thank you for your enthusiastic support of the band program. We can’t wait to share the stage with you both at TMEA this upcoming February!
Jerry Junkin
Thank you for sharing the stage with us on this performance. Your enthusiasm, musicianship, and mentorship have been an inspiration to me for years. I’m so grateful that our students are able to experience this collaboration with you!
Caleb Hudson
Thank you for performing as a guest soloist with our ensemble. We are so excited to share the stage with you in Chicago, and we’re grateful for the opportunity to learn from watching you perform.
Sam Acosta
I’m so grateful that you were willing to perform with us at our Midwest Send-Off Concert in Austin! Thank you for the time, effort, and talent you poured into the preparation of the rehearsals and performance. Watching our students perform with one of their favorite teachers is truly a gift and a memory that we will all cherish.
Dan Havely
Words cannot express my gratitude and admiration for the impact you have made on my life and career. As my band director, you taught me the meaning of hard work, dedication, perseverance, and the idea that musical excellence is always a worthwhile pursuit. Thank you for your mentorship and friendship. I’m here today because of you, and I’m so honored that our students get to share the stage with you on this performance.
Pat Bacon
Thank you for giving me and so many other students a truly remarkable foundation in band at Athens Middle School. You were nothing short of a miracle worker, and the positive impact you made in your 40 years of teaching will be felt for generations to come. We love and miss you, Mr. Bacon.
Robert Rubio, John Dominguez, Bill Watson, David Bertman, and Richard Floyd
Each of you has helped to guide and shape my teaching since I moved to Texas. I’m so grateful for your wisdom, friendship, and the musical lessons I have learned from watching your masterful teaching over the years. Thank you for continuing to invest in my ongoing musical journey!
Ken Ozzello
Thank you for the educational experiences you provided during my time at The University of Alabama. Whether it was learning marching band rehearsal techniques during “Million Dollar Band” practice, or meaningful discussions during our conducting seminars, the lessons learned from you have had a profound and lasting impact on me as a musician and educator. Thank you for believing in me and trusting me with so many opportunities during the most formative years of my music education.
Jack Green and Jim Van Zandt
Thank you both for the Pride, Passion, and Family you helped to foster and build in the Westwood Band program. You are both incredibly important friends and mentors in my life. I will be forever grateful for your trust, support, and ongoing love for our band family and students at Westwood.
David Jennison
Thank you for being a valued colleague, mentor, and lifelong friend. I will always cherish our time together and how much of a positive influence you continue to have on my life and career!
Ruth Lim
Thank you for your friendship, love, and for always “checking in.” I’m so grateful for your help and thoughtfulness throughout this trip. Thank you for always being one step ahead of us all!
Justin Ward, Jared Theismann, Marc Sosnowchik, Corey Pompey, and David Caddell
My chosen family. My brothers. Thank you for the never-ending laughs, deep conversations, musical moments, travel experiences, and the yet-to-be-made priceless memories that define our friendships. I love each of you dearly.
Juanita and Tip Turpin
The best parents anyone could ever hope for. Thank you both for loving me and constantly supporting me on my journey to become the best possible version of myself. I can never thank you enough for the sacrifices you both made to help me pursue my dreams. We miss you, Dad. I hope you are looking down, enjoying the music, and smiling from ear to ear today.
Dean Arms
I can’t begin to imagine a more exciting and eventful year in our lives together, but I also can’t fathom wanting to experience this crazy roller coaster of life with anyone else. You are my best friend, my husband, my rock, and my human. Thank you for being the best teammate a guy could ever hope for, and for loving me through all of the late nights, moments of insecurity, and crazy ideas. I’m so grateful that our “weirds” are compatible! Te amo mucho.